New Brown ad attacks Warren over “you didn’t build it” argument

Ed MorrisseyPosted at 8:41 am on July 23, 2012

So, which Senate candidate in Massachusetts is running on the Kennedy legacy? Don’t be too quick to answer — because the man who scolded a debate moderator in the 2010 special election for referring to the Senate seat as “Ted Kennedy’s seat” does some Kennedy-invoking of his own to shame his opponent. Scott Brown’s new web ad uses the words of John Kennedy in praise of American enterprise, Bill Clinton in praise of small business, and LBJ in praise of the American entrepreneurial spirit. The ad then asks, How did we go from JFK, LBJ, and Clinton to Elizabeth Warren and Barack Obama?

Fear not, Reaganauts, Ronald Reagan gets some quality time in the ad, too. It’s the use of traditional Democrats that’s most effective, though, and one suspects the claiming of the Kennedy mantle that will most sting Warren and the Democrats in Massachusetts. The ad reminds voters that this isn’t their fathers’ Democratic Party any longer — a point Joe Lieberman made last week — and that Warren and Obama represent extremes on the Left that remain very much disconnected with mainstream American attitudes about enterprise and the role of government. Brown had better hope that’s true in Massachusetts, but this is at least a very effective web spot. If he can trim this down to a 60-second spot and put it on television, especially with Warren’s angry delivery, it’s a winner. (via James Hohmann at Politico‘s e-mail Morning Blast)